"sadly, some people only write so that they can get reviews."
odd [...] that a real writer disdains reviews as being beneath their lofty ivory tower.
Hmm, perhaps my peacekeeper genes are activating, here, but to me there's a tremendously wide gap between those two positions--between doing something *only* for what it brings in terms of reknown and popularity, and doing something with the knowledge that praise *might* come of it. I wouldn't take statements against "writing only for reviews" as meaning that anyone who thinks about receiving praise isn't a True Writer and lacks Artistic Vision because they've left the ivory tower of Creating, but only that the speaker disdains those with a purely "what can it bring me?" motive. :D
I admit, I would scorn anyone who wrote "only for the reviews", as to me that sounds far too much like the whinging on FF.Net about "Review my story or I'll stop writing!!1!" However, if the rabble beneath one's ivory tower is so insignificant, why would one profane one's sacred creation by handing it to them? Frame it with gold and precious metals and keep it to yourself.
it's too much work, too much risk, to put your heart on the line just for the momentary hit of a review that may never even arrive.
Wonderful way of phrasing it! I would have taken the condemnation of those who 'write for the reviews' to be exactly that-- those who only exert effort in the expectation of returns, those who hold their plots hostage to a certain number of reviews ("I'll post the next chapter when I get 25 reviews on the last one").
I'm not much for ivory towers, either. :D Things I have written for myself remain ensconced on my hard drive, where I can enjoy or revile them as I please; I understand the point of publishing, be it via 'Net or paper, to be sharing, which in turn means that reactions are welcomed or at least accepted. Why post something if the reviews will only inevitably misunderstand your artistic Vision?
One-liner reviews, while not as much fun as something more detailed, are accepted in the way a smile is accepted in lieu of a thank you.
What a lovely metaphor. ((memorises))
You have a lovely way of summing up the "types", as well. I am a mix of both, and neither is better than the other. I suppose I seem to come down harder on the glory-hounds simply because the "Artistes" tend to keep their priceless marvels out of sight, while those holding their own stories hostage to fame are all too easy to run across. Any type of writer, to my mind, is better than a so-called 'author' who would do such a thing. That sort of attitude violates both my Artist and my Storyteller principles, by both refusing to let out the story within them *and* demanding payment from the listener rather than taking what the story prompts from them. Even the high-strung Artists with their masterpieces locked up in towers have at least succeeded in producing something, and even if they're the only one to appreciate it, well--someone is appreciating it, freely and honestly. What author of any stripe would possibly want coerced or insincere feedback? To me, that would be the crux of the matter, Artist or Storyteller: do you want responses that involve thought, or do you want response at any cost?
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branchandroot
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Date: 2004-07-12 10:48 pm (UTC)odd [...] that a real writer disdains reviews as being beneath their lofty ivory tower.
Hmm, perhaps my peacekeeper genes are activating, here, but to me there's a tremendously wide gap between those two positions--between doing something *only* for what it brings in terms of reknown and popularity, and doing something with the knowledge that praise *might* come of it. I wouldn't take statements against "writing only for reviews" as meaning that anyone who thinks about receiving praise isn't a True Writer and lacks Artistic Vision because they've left the ivory tower of Creating, but only that the speaker disdains those with a purely "what can it bring me?" motive. :D
I admit, I would scorn anyone who wrote "only for the reviews", as to me that sounds far too much like the whinging on FF.Net about "Review my story or I'll stop writing!!1!" However, if the rabble beneath one's ivory tower is so insignificant, why would one profane one's sacred creation by handing it to them? Frame it with gold and precious metals and keep it to yourself.
it's too much work, too much risk, to put your heart on the line just for the momentary hit of a review that may never even arrive.
Wonderful way of phrasing it! I would have taken the condemnation of those who 'write for the reviews' to be exactly that-- those who only exert effort in the expectation of returns, those who hold their plots hostage to a certain number of reviews ("I'll post the next chapter when I get 25 reviews on the last one").
I'm not much for ivory towers, either. :D Things I have written for myself remain ensconced on my hard drive, where I can enjoy or revile them as I please; I understand the point of publishing, be it via 'Net or paper, to be sharing, which in turn means that reactions are welcomed or at least accepted. Why post something if the reviews will only inevitably misunderstand your artistic Vision?
One-liner reviews, while not as much fun as something more detailed, are accepted in the way a smile is accepted in lieu of a thank you.
What a lovely metaphor. ((memorises))
You have a lovely way of summing up the "types", as well. I am a mix of both, and neither is better than the other. I suppose I seem to come down harder on the glory-hounds simply because the "Artistes" tend to keep their priceless marvels out of sight, while those holding their own stories hostage to fame are all too easy to run across. Any type of writer, to my mind, is better than a so-called 'author' who would do such a thing. That sort of attitude violates both my Artist and my Storyteller principles, by both refusing to let out the story within them *and* demanding payment from the listener rather than taking what the story prompts from them. Even the high-strung Artists with their masterpieces locked up in towers have at least succeeded in producing something, and even if they're the only one to appreciate it, well--someone is appreciating it, freely and honestly. What author of any stripe would possibly want coerced or insincere feedback? To me, that would be the crux of the matter, Artist or Storyteller: do you want responses that involve thought, or do you want response at any cost?